omething unexpected and shocking happened to me about a year ago. I was in the middle of a discussion with my youngest daughter regarding the state of her bedroom. As soon as the words “this room looks like a pig sty” left my mouth, my body froze and my hand flew to my mouth in utter disbelief. I looked around the room carefully – was that me, or was my mother communicating through my body? I had banned that phrase from my vocabulary for years … why was it resurfacing now?

A few days later I was discussing this phenomenon of morphing into my mother with some girlfriends, only to discover it’s not uncommon. Some claimed to see their mom peering at them in the mirror as they brushed their teeth; others told me they that as they got older, they started to prefer some of the clothing stores where their moms shopped! Oh, horror of horrors! What was happening to us? Our mothers were all still fine and doing well miles away, but their opinions and beliefs were slowly creeping into our conversations and relationships.

After a deep breath and further reflection, I’ve decided this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of us struggle through our youth and young adulthood desperate to find our personal identity.  While it’s important to be an individual, our foundations are set by the people who heavily influenced us. I am very fortunate to have been raised by Christian parents who loved me and demonstrated it daily. 

God sent Jesus to live among us on Earth so that we could learn from his teachings. Once you grasp that parallel, we should all strive to exhibit the good qualities of those who love God!

Now excuse me, I’ve got to go. I hear there is a sale at Talbots.

I Corinthians 15:48 – “As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.”

Editor's note: Our "Just For Women" columns reflect the perspectives and experiences of the writer.